Actor/director Ben Stiller makes a decent go at breathing new life into a classic story by James Thurber that was originally adapted in 1947 with Danny Kaye playing the lead. Thurber disliked the MGM film and I suspect that as an artist who cared deeply about his work, he’d find few remains of his classic tale of a socially awkward introvert prone to vivid daydreaming in Stiller’s ambitious yet uneven attempt. It’s a movie with a heart even if it’s one that is cloying and flavored with a simplistic “just do it” spirit. Stiller’s Mitty fantasizes as a means to escape his life of corporate downsizing and failure to find love. As a heroic everyman willing to brave danger to save a damsel in distress, Mitty finds agency, meaning and purpose (the hyper-masculine sort of course) but then again, that’s only a narrative exercise that takes place between his ears. It’s when he’s propelled by urgency, self-interest and romantic inspiration that our ill-at-ease hero pushes aside his fear and anxiety, leading to the a-ha moments one locates in adventure but also the kind found in every self-help book (live life to the fullest dude!). Stiller’s harmless, family-friendly and entertaining take on a classic is worth a viewing for its reimagined Mitty and superb cinematography but you may want to simply head to the library and pick up Thurber’s story for the substance.

Movie

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Actor/director Ben Stiller makes a decent go at breathing new life into a classic story by James Thurber that was originally adapted in 1947 with Danny Kaye playing the lead. Thurber disliked the MGM film and I suspect that as an artist who cared deeply about his work, he’d find few remains of his classic tale of a socially awkward introvert prone to vivid daydreaming in Stiller’s ambitious yet uneven attempt. It’s a movie with a heart even if it’s one that is cloying and flavored with a simplistic “just do it” spirit. Stiller’s Mitty fantasizes as a means to escape his life of corporate downsizing and failure to find love. As a heroic everyman willing to brave danger to save a damsel in distress, Mitty finds agency, meaning and purpose (the hyper-masculine sort of course) but then again, that’s only a narrative exercise that takes place between his ears. It’s when he’s propelled by urgency, self-interest and romantic inspiration that our ill-at-ease hero pushes aside his fear and anxiety, leading to the a-ha moments one locates in adventure but also the kind found in every self-help book (live life to the fullest dude!). Stiller’s harmless, family-friendly and entertaining take on a classic is worth a viewing for its reimagined Mitty and superb cinematography but you may want to simply head to the library and pick up Thurber’s story for the substance.